Local governments and school systems in the D.C. area are going over the text of President Donald Trump’s executive orders to see how they might have to adjust to adhere to the law.
The Trump administration has reversed the 13-year restriction on immigration enforcement at schools and churches, opening the possibility that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol agents could stage raids at the sites that were previously designated as “sensitive locations.”
“After all the talk about going after the hard-core criminals, I wonder how many hard-core criminals they’re going to find at elementary schools. That should be very interesting,” Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said.
He made clear that Montgomery County police would not be enforcing federal immigration law.
Elrich added that while the county would comply with federal law, “We are trying to get some clarity on some of these issues,” related to where the federal law and local authority intersect.
“I think that this is something that we have all been preparing for,” Montgomery County Council President Kate Stewart said.
Stewart is the former mayor of Takoma Park, a community the previous Trump administration threatened to pull funds from over immigration.
“Our community rallied here in the City of Takoma Park and in Montgomery County to make sure that we were able to continue services to individuals who needed them,” Stewart said. “I expect the same thing will happen again if we lose federal funding.”
She added that she’s had conversations with Thomas Taylor, superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools. Based those talks, she said MCPS has been “preparing their schools, their school faculty, in the case of ICE showing up at the schools.”
Asked about the specifics of Stewart’s remarks, MCPS said in a statement it “has established protocols for interactions between school staff and law enforcement agencies.”
“We do not inquire about the immigration status of our students,” the school system added. “Resources have been made available to assist staff, families and legal guardians navigating this situation.”
‘Hope and uncertainty’
On Jan. 17, Prince George’s County Public Schools Superintendent Millard House referred to “a new chapter ahead for our nation,” in a videotaped message posted on the school system’s YouTube page. He said that in times of change there can be “both hope and uncertainty.”
In the video, House said the school system represents “more than 150 countries and languages from all over the world.” He said every student “deserves to feel safe, welcome and valued.”
“Please know this, PGCPS stands with you. Our schools are safe spaces where children can learn, grow and thrive,” House said.
Regarding the Department of Justice’s stated efforts to target state and local officials who put up roadblocks to immigration enforcement, Elrich said he was not worried about it.
“They don’t get to define cooperating any way they want to,” Elrich said. “Whatever ‘cooperating’ means has to be legal.”
Elrich said he has, and would continue to, abide by federal laws regarding immigration.
“I’ve made it clear to the immigrants I’ve talked to that the county’s not going to be able to stand between the police — federal police and ICE agents — if they come here. We don’t have the ability to do that,” Elrich said. “That would surely be interference in the carrying out of an executive order.”
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